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Conversation
Highlights
Welcome to Marketing From the Front Lines, where we have unfiltered conversations with the B2B marketers who are bringing innovative technology to market. In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Holly Tate, CMO at Leadr, a people development platform.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Blending Creativity with Business Savvy: Holly’s career in marketing was shaped by her early experiences working for two entrepreneurs, where she learned the importance of balancing creativity with solid business acumen to succeed in marketing.
- Shifting from People Management to People Development: Leadr initially positioned itself as a people management software but faced challenges being compared to HR and project management tools, leading them to create a new category focused on “people development.”
- Sales Growth through Category Pivot: After Leadr made the shift to “people development,” their sales increased significantly, demonstrating the power of category creation and clear differentiation in the marketplace.
- Aligning Brand Identity with New Category: Holly led a rebranding effort, softening Leadr’s logo and changing it to lowercase to better reflect their collaborative, bottom-up leadership approach, signaling their new focus on people development.
- Avoiding Overextension: A brief attempt to expand into HR software confused Leadr’s market positioning, prompting the company to quickly refocus on its core mission of people development, reaffirming the importance of staying true to a clear category.
- Internal Alignment for Successful Category Creation: Holly emphasized the critical role of aligning the entire company—from sales to customer success—around the new category to ensure consistency and clarity in messaging across all teams and functions.
Actionable
Takeaways
Align Category with Market Differentiation:
Leadr pivoted from "people management" to "people development" after realizing their initial positioning was forcing them into direct comparisons with unrelated software. For founders, ensuring your category is clear and differentiated can prevent wasted efforts during sales conversations.
Adapt Branding to Reflect Category Changes:
Holly led a rebranding effort that softened Leadr’s logo and changed it to lowercase, signaling a more collaborative and less hierarchical approach. A consistent visual brand should match your category’s values and philosophy.
Listen to Your Gut—But Stay Flexible:
Holly shared how her team committed to the "people development" category, but their CEO reassured them they could change it if necessary. Don’t be afraid to commit, but stay open to iterating if things don’t work as expected.
Avoid Overextension:
When Leadr introduced an HR solution to expand their offerings, it confused both the market and internal teams, negatively impacting conversions. Stick to your core category to avoid diluting your value proposition.
Equip Your Team for Category Success:
A well-executed category creation requires a strong internal alignment. Holly ensured the entire team—from SDRs to customer success—was aligned with the new people development focus, helping them articulate it clearly in the market.
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